It’s a great way to revitalize certain communities.

Two months ago I summarized what’s good and bad in audio-chat apps likeClubHouse, and why I very likely never use such apps. It is important, however, to acknowledge some potentially good change that those apps can bring, and are already bringing. Namely, Clubhouse can bring diasporas closer together. It is Clubhose conversations that made the author of that really interesting post curious about her Zimbabwean heritage.

Quoting from there, in Zimbabwe, totems are “a cultural identity marker… that represents belonging in a clan”. Totems have supported people in the Zimbabwean diaspora to create family relationships and fill gaps in belonging, and similar traditions surely have, and have always had the same roles in all diasporas.

What is interesting, and potentially very beneficial now is that

“the live action of Clubhouse conversations makes [totems, and similar traditions] potent [because] A social media platform that works through oral registers is the best way to translate traditional oral cultures"

In other words, here’s another way in which “live audio may bring back to the future”.

Image sources: Google image results for “Zimbabwean diaspora”